The 17-year-old Colorado girl who was shot in the head during last week’s school shooting spree has died after spending more than a week in a coma. .

Claire Davis was pronounced dead at 4.29pm today at Littleton Adventist Hospital after succumbing to her injuries.

On the hospital's Facebook page officials wrote that Davis was surrounded by her family at the time of her passing.

Rest in peace: Claire Davis, 17, was pronounced dead this afternoon after being shot in the head eight days ago at Arapahoe High School

‘Despite
the best efforts of our physicians and nursing staff, and Claire's
fighting spirit, her injuries were too severe and the most advanced
medical treatments could not prevent this tragic loss of life,’ the
message read.

Claire
Davis, a senior at Arapahoe High School in Centennial, was shot at
point blank range by fellow student Karl Pierson, 18, on December 13.

Pierson, armed with a shotgun, ammunition strapped to his body, Molotov cocktails and a machete, entered the school and headed toward the library, seemingly
intent on killing his debate team coach Tracy Murphy.

Davis, who was shot while sitting with a friend, appeared to be a random target, Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson has said.

The sheriff called Davis 'a young woman of principle' and 'an innocent young lady.'

Last Sunday, two days after the shooting rampage, Claire's father said his daughter was 'not doing very well' after undergoing surgery.

A short time after her passing today, the Davis family released a statement to Fox31.

'Although we have lost our precious daughter, we will always be
grateful for the indelible journey she took us on over the last 17
years—we were truly blessed to be Claire’s parents,' the statement read.
'The grace, laughter …and light she brought to this world will not be
extinguished by her death; to the contrary, it will only get stronger.'

Senior Chris Davis, who is not related to Claire Davis, said she loved horses, had a lot of friends and always seemed happy. Chris Davis, whose locker is next to Claire's, helped organize a fundraising effort for her family.

Students held vigils for Davis after the shooting. Typical was a story told by classmate Maggie Hurlbut.

'One time I remember I was upset in the hallway, and she came up to me and she just — it was like, "Hey Maggie, I know we don't know each other well but are you doing OK?" And I told her yeah, and she was like, "Anything you need, I'm here for you,"' Hurlbut said.

'Again, that's who she is, and she just wants to take care of others, and that was really just a good representation of her character and who she was.'

Debate team: Karl Pierson, left, was a member of
the debate team and previously competed at nationals for the school,
but his coach, librarian Tracy Murphy, right, allegedly demoted him
earlier this week

Gov. John Hickenlooper visited Davis and her family at the hospital and had asked for prayers, and the popular British boy-band OneDirection sent the teen a video message wishing her to get well soon.

Davis would have had no time to get out of the way as Pierson entered the school and started shooting just after 12.30pm last Friday.

Sheriff Robinson said at a press conference that Claire was 'an innocent victim of an evil act of violence', 7News reported.

There was no indication that the gunmen knew her or was acquainted with her.

'Evil intent'

The 18-year-old senior atArapahoe High School arrived at the Colorado school at about 12.30 on Friday, armed with a shotgun, multiple rounds of ammunition, a machete and three petrol bombs.

In an attack lasting just one minute and 17 seconds, the student fired five times.

He fired in the hallway, shot Claire Davis, 17, in the head, then fired in the corridor again and library, where he also set off a petrol bomb.

Aware that the school police officer was closing in on him, Pierson shot himself in the library.

Pierson had legally bought the shotgun on
December 6, and school friends said the usually calm student had been
acting out of character this week.

After his parents divorced in 2011, the teenager, described by neighbors as 'sweet and cheerful' was raised by his mother.

On the day of the shooting she was out of town, caring for a sick relative.

Sheriff Robinson said the incident had
been extremely brief, lasting one minute and 17 seconds from the time
Pierson entered the building armed with the shotgun, several rounds of
ammunition, and three petrol bombs, to the point where he shot himself.

He
added that Claire wouldn't have had any time to run from the shooter,
correcting earlier reports that she may have been trying to stop him. A
friend who was with Claire at the time dragged her to safety in a nearby
yoga class, according to the Denver Post.

Sheriff Robinson said that 18-year-old Pierson legally purchased the shotgun on December 6, a full week before the incident.

Pierson threw one of the petrol bombs into the library where Mr Murphy, who is also the school's librarian, worked. The explosion set fire to three bookcases.

Police are still investigating the motive that Pierson was trying to get back at Mr Murphy for benching him on the debate team earlier in the week.

Sheriff Robinson said that when the teenager heard the school's police officer pursuing him, he took his own life.

At a vigil being held in Claire's honor at the school last Saturday, hundreds of fellow students marched silently into an open field.

Come together: Students from the high school hold a candlelit vigil for Claire Davis who is being treated in hospital

In candlelight, the students sang the school song and hugged as they tried to come to terms with what had happened the previous day.

Vigil: Friends have gathered to show support for Claire

Frank Warnoff, a student at the school, told news
station KDVR that on Friday he was in the parking lot after lunch when he saw librarian Mr Murphy running out of the building.

‘He
seemed incredibly shocked, he was in awe,’ Frank said.

He said Mr Murphy kept telling him what happened inside, naming Pierson
and saying what appears to be the motive for the shooting.

‘I docked him from the speech and debate team and that just shocked him,’ Frank recalled Murphy telling him.

‘[Mr Murphy] just kept repeating [the shooter’s] name and what happened and where [the shooter] was.'

The student described Pierson as 'a bit nerdy and geeky but in a sort of charming way'. ‘I
could see that he was bullied but he was always very humble and down to
earth, always in a good mood and energetic. I just never saw him as
this kind of person,' he said.

Mr Murphy told Frank that he had been shot out but managed to dodge the blast of the shotgun.

Others in the school said the otherwise calm
and happy student seemed to snap this week.

Struggling: Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson said Claire is in poor condition after surgery yesterday

Community spirit: Claire's family issued a statement asking for prayers for their daughter

Hands up: Police search students as they are led out of the school on Friday with their hands in the air

Anxious: A sheriff holds up his gun at a Centennial, Colorado grocery store where Arapahoe High School parents wait to be reunited with their children after the school shooting Friday afternoon

‘I
wasn’t there but I heard in one of his classes on Wednesday he went out
to get something from his locker I believe, came back and started
pounding on the door because it was locked. They just couldn't figure
out how he was so upset,’ Frank said.

Neighbors said that the high school senior ‘seemed normal’ and was described as being ‘sweet’ and ‘quiet’.

One
neighbor told MailOnline that the boy was a member of the cross country
team and they waved from across the street whenever they saw each other
but were not particularly close.

Those who knew the teenager were not surprised to learn that he had a gun as he reportedly showed his friends a picture of a
shotgun that he used for hunting.

Fears: Students comfort each other at Arapahoe High School following the shooting

Under investigation: A full team of police are swarming this house in Highlands Ranch (pictured before the investigation) as it is thought to be where the shooter lived

Warranted: Police prepare to search the Pierson home for explosives after finding two at the high school

Sheriff
Robinson said that while the investigation was on going, there was
‘absolutely no indication at all that this would be tied to Sandy Hook’
even though the shooting took place the day before the one year
anniversary of the Connecticut shooting that left 20 children and six
educators dead.

Arapahoe
High School is 16 miles from the Aurora movie theater where a
shooting occurred in June 2012 and only eight miles from Columbine High
School, the scene of a mass school shooting in April 1999.

‘We had talked about it and we had lock down drills at times but we never thought that it would happen at our school.’

Heartbreaking: Student Dominika Kostecka, 17, is emotional as she gets picked up by her mother after the school was evacuated following the shooting

Comforting: Allie Zadrow, right, hugs her friend Liz Reinhardt, left, after being evacuated from the building

Concern: Parents Cathy Thorson, left, and Heather Moran, right, hug each other after arriving on the campus

Escape: Law enforcement officers escort students, with their hands raised, out of Arapahoe High School

Reunited: Students meet with their relieved parents at a fast food joint across from the high school

Authorities swarmed the scene about 20 minutes after the initial call and the
sheriff commended the librarian for his quick thinking by leaving the
school, saying that the man's intention was to get the gunman away from
the school.

'In
my opinion, this was the most important tactical decision that was
made,' Sheriff Robinson said.
'He took himself away from the school in an effort to get the shooter to
go with him.'

Only
one weapon, which was used in the shooting, has been found at the
school. The second petrol bomb had not gone off.

The gunman's car, home, and a second property he had access to are being searched as part of the investigation.

Lockdown: SWAT team members lead students away from Arapahoe High School near Littleton, Colorado

Terror: The students kept their hands in the air where the gunman opened fire on Friday afternoon

Staying together: Students from Arapahoe High School evacuate their building in Centennial

Whitney Riley, a 15-year-old student, recounted fearful scenes to CNN, explaining that she heard one shot ring out, followed by two more.

She
said she ran to a room with classmates and a teacher, who she credited for his brave response.

'You could tell he was scared,' she said of one teacher. 'But he told us that everything was OK.'

Footage taken from outside the school
showed the high school students standing in lines and
being patted down by police officers.

Traffic
had also been brought to a standstill
outside the school and parents were told to go to a nearby church to
meet their childrenl.

Around 2,230 students attend Arapahoe
High School, which is a part of Littleton Public Schools.

Scene: The school in Centennial is just eight miles from where the Columbine School shooting took place in 1999

Shooting: An aerial view of Arapahoe High School in Centennial, where police responded after midday

Secured: Deputies arrived on the scene and found the dead shooter within 20 minutes of the call

Prepared: Local and state police responded to the scene as well as SWAT teams who had practiced lock down drills in area schools- including Arapahoe High School- many times before

Waiting it out: An armed officer stands outside the school after the fearful students escape

Scene: The school, which has 2,200 students, is just miles from the Aurora cinema where 12 died last year